Comcast expands $10 Internet to needy community college students

Colorado Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia is credited with getting Comcast Corp. to expand its $10 Internet service to low-income community college students.

Comcast Corp. on Wednesday expanded its $10 Internet service to low-income community college students in Colorado and Illinois.

Comcast said it chose Colorado as one of two community college pilot programs for its Internet Essentials service because of the enthusiasm and support the state’s Lt. Governor Joe Garcia, who is also executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

“When we launch programs, we want them to be a success, not a failure,” David L. Cohen, Comcast’s senior executive vice president said during the announcement event at the Community College of Denver on Wednesday.

Students at the state’s 15 community colleges are eligible for the discounted Internet if they receive Federal Pell Grant funds. According to Comcast, that includes half of the state’s community college students, or about 40,000 people. There are a few other requirements, such as not being in debt to Comcast for the past year. The program starts today and students can call 1-855-851-3638 or submit an application at internetessentials.com/college, which requires a transcript and Pell Grant letter. Details are on the site.

“For us, this was the most natural extension possible because we target education,” Cohen said. “We want to continue Internet service for community college students who no longer have it at home.”

Until recently, Comcast offered low-cost Internet only to families with children up through 12th grade who are eligible for the National School Lunch Program.

But in the past month, Comcast expanded that program to include any family with children in schools where 50 percent of the students are eligible for the school lunch program. In Colorado, that includes 500 schools. You can search this list for school eligibility.

Last month, Comcast announced similar pilot programs for senior citizens in Palm Beach, Fla., and San Francisco. Since that program is still new, Cohen said he couldn’t share the results yet. But he added that those cities were chosen because of the response from community organizations and local government that would help spread the word and build programs to educate users about learning opportunities online.

“All our research shows that the number one barrier to broadband adoption is not the cost of service or the cost of the equipment, but the bucket of digital literacy” and not understanding the importance of Internet access, he said. “The Boys & Girls Club is our largest digital literacy partner. But we’re not going to hit a lot of seniors or college students at the Boys & Girls Club.”

Cohen also said that adding a Wi-Fi router and expanding to new low-income users were ideas that came from the community. The company is also considering expanding the $10 program to veterans and people with disabilities, he said.

Colorado is a good candidate to get $10 Internet for low-income seniors. Cohen says that Colorado has the largest percentage of Internet Essentials users in the nation. In the state, about 30 percent of eligible families are on the plan, compared to an average of 20 percent in other states.

“Obviously, someone who has been a great partner in the program will be considered as a top contender,” Cohen said. “This is our business. If we’re not going to focus on the digital divide, why should Exxon or another large company. We are the ones who should be doing this,” Cohen said. “There are no financial benefits for us.”

Tamara Chuang covers personal technology and local tech news for The Denver Post. She previously spent 10 years doing the same thing for The Orange County Register before taking a hiatus to move here and become a SAHM to a precocious toddler.